同步泵浦PML飞秒激光研究

采用CW锁模YAG倍频激光器同步泵浦PML飞秒染料激光器,产生了平均脉宽约55fs、功率为15mW的光脉冲。文章在理论和实验上还研究了同步泵浦飞秒激光脉冲产生技术。     

Operation of pulsed dye laser with an intracavity phase step

Effects of an intracavity phase step on the spectral and spatial characteristics of pulsed dye laser radiation are studied. In the broadband operation regime of the dye laser, the lasing spectrum was strongly, periodically modulated. In the narrowband regime, periodic alteration between TEM₀₀ and TEM₀₁-like beam profiles is observed on tuning the laser wavelength. Two different spectral periods of these effects are recognized. The shorter period corresponds to double passage and the longer one to apparent single passage of intracavity light through the phase step on a cavity round trip. Depending on the position of the phase step along the laser cavity, single-passage period, double-passage period, or a superposition of both periods appeared in the broadband emission spectrum and in the beam profile alteration sequence. These observations demonstrate several possibilities for the control of spectral, spatial, and phase characteristics of laser beams by simple intracavity phase elements.     

Single-longitudinal-mode selection in a nanosecond-pulsed dye laser

We investigate the dynamics of the excited-state population, the cavity photon number, and the spectrum of an optically pumped nanosecond-pulsed dye laser containing bandwidth-narrowing elements in the cavity. We show that, in order to achieve single-mode operation, the pump-pulse duration has to be long enough and the dye concentration sufficiently high. This is partly due to the frequency shift of the laser spectrum during the decrease of the excited-state population towards its steady-state value. We demonstrate a single-mode dye laser, where single-mode selection is realised with the aid of an intracavity Fox–Smith interferometer. In this way we have obtained 5-ns-long pulses at the wavelength of 590 nm with a pulse energy of 6 mJ and a spectral width of 100 MHz (FWHM). Received: 3 December 2001 / Published online: 14 March 2002     

An alternate model of CW dye laser intracavity absorption

A new model is presented for intracavity absorption in a CW multimode dye laser based on the similarity between the laser and a self-quenched super- regenerative oscillator. The model suggest that the primary interaction mechanism between the atomic absorber and the laser is through a modification of the background radiation level from which the oscillation builds up. Numerical calculations are carried out leading to a prediction of the spectral line shape to be observed in intracavity absorption as well as the dependence of the signal on absorber density and pump power.     

High power narrowband pulsed dye laser oscillator-amplifier-system

Construction details and operating characteristics are reported for a pulsed dye laser oscillator followed by a three-stage dye laser amplifier. The system is excited with 220 mJ of the second or120 mJ of the third harmonic radiation of a Nd-YAG laser. With Rhodamine dyes the output energy exceeds 55 mJ (9 MW peak power). Coumarin dyes provide pulses of more than 15 mJ (3 MW). Spectral narrowing to less than 260 MHz or 2.7 × 10 ^-4 nm at 565 nm is achieved by a single intracavity etalon of 37.5 GHz free spectral range. Gas pressure tuning allows a continuous linear variation of the laser frequency over more than 3.9 × 10³ GHz (4 nm at 565 nm). The frequency doubled laser output provides tunable UV light of narrow bandwidth (1.4 × 10^-4 nm) and of peak powers exceeding 3 MW.     

The generation of tunable UV radiation from 238–249 nm,by intracavity frequency doubling of a coumarin 102 dye laser

Lithium formate monohydrate has been used for intracavity frequency doubling of a coumarin 102 dye laser. The tuning range is 238–249 nm, with maximum generated UV powers 70 μW at 244 nm.     

Picosecond fluorescence studies by intracavity gain spectroscopy in a modelocked dye laser

This article presents measurements which combine modelocking technique with intracavity spectroscopy. To test this approach, a sample (10^–5 m ethanolic solution of 1,4-dihydroxyanthranquinone) was inserted in a modelocked Ar⁺ ion laser and probed by intracavity pulses of a synchronously pumped dye laser. The probing of the sample results in an amplification of the dye laser output. Maximum output was measured if the pulses of the dye laser temporally overlapped with those of the Ar⁺ ion laser inside the sample. Under this condition, the spectral laser intensity was shaped by the spectrum of stimulated fluorescence which originated from a molecular vibronic state populated by pump laser excitation.Presented at LASERION '91, June 12–14, 1991, München (Germany)     

Analysis of tunable codirectional vertical couplers with liquid crystal overlays for integrated dye lasers

We propose a guided-wave dye laser using a grating-assisted codirectional vertical coupler as an intracavity tunable filter. A liquid crystal overlay is designed to attain a phase-matching wavelength shift in the vertical coupler and a tunable range of over 60 nm is calculated at a center wavelength of 590 nm with a coupling efficiency of more than –1 dB. The tunable range is limited by the coupling length mismatch rather than by the refractive index variation in the liquid crystal overlay. Sidelobe level in the filter response is increased when the phase-matching wavelength is shifted to the long-wavelength side; nevertheless, the weighted coupling keeps the sidelobe-suppression ratio at more than 30 dB over a spectral span of 100 nm.     

Passive mode locking at harmonics of the free spectral range of the intracavity filter in a fiber ring laser

We report the passive mode-locking at harmonics of the free spectral range (FSR) of the intracavity multi-channel filter in a fiber ring laser. The laser uses a sampled fiber Bragg grating (SFBG) with a free spectral range (FSR) of 0.8 nm, or 99 GHz at 1555 nm, and a length of highly nonlinear photonic crystal fiber with low and flat dispersion. Stable picosecond soliton pulse trains with twofold to sevenfold enhancement in the repetition rate, relative to the FSR of the SFBG, have been achieved. The passive mode-locking mechanism that is at play in this laser relies on a dissipative four-wave mixing process and switching of repetition rate is realized simply by adjustment of the intracavity polarization controllers.     

Continuous-wave intracavity frequency-doubled Nd:Yag-KTiOPO<Subscript>4</Subscript> red laser

Efficient and compact red laser output at 669 nm is generated by intracavity frequency doubling of a continuous-wave (CW) diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser at 1338 nm. With 16.9 W of diode pump power and the frequency-doubling crystal KTiOPO₄ (KTP), a maximum output power of 582 mW in the red spectral range at 669 nm has been achieved, corresponding to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 3.4%; the output power stability over 4 h is better than 3.6%. To the best of our knowledge, this is first work on intracavity frequency doubling of a diode pumped Nd:YAG laser at 669 nm.     

Generation of tunable cw infrared radiation by difference frequency mixing

Tunable cw infrared radiation has been generated by noncollinear difference frequency mixing in LiIO₃, using the output of an argon ion laser at 514 nm or 488 nm and the intracavity radiation of a Rhodamine 6 G dye laser. Infrared powers up to 4 μW in multimode and 0.5 μW in single-mode operation tunable in the range of 2.3 μm to 4.6 μm have been obtained. Properties and possibilities of the noncollinear mixing geometry and the intracavity mixing system are discussed.     

Laser intracavity absorption spectroscopy

Emission spectra of multimode lasers are very sensitive to spectrally selective extinction in their cavity. This phenomenon allows the quantitative measurement of absorption. The sensitivity of measurements of intracavity absorption grows with the laser pulse duration. The ultimate sensitivity obtained with a cw laser is set by various perturbations of the light coherence, such as quantum noise, Rayleigh scattering, four-wave mixing by population pulsations, and stimulated Brillouin scattering. It depends on the particular laser type used, and on its operative parameters, for example pump power, cavity loss, cavity length, and length of the gain medium. Nonlinear mode-coupling dominates the dynamics of lasers that feature a thin gain medium, such as dye lasers, whereas Rayleigh scattering is more important in lasers with a long gain medium, such as doped fibre lasers, or the Ti:sapphire laser. The highest sensitivity so far has been obtained with a cw dye laser. It corresponds to 70000 km effective length of the absorption path. The ultimate spectral resolution is determined by the spectral width of mode emission, which is 0.7 Hz in this dye laser. High sensitivity and high temporal and spectral resolution allow various practical applications of laser intracavity spectroscopy, such as measurements and simulations of atmospheric absorption, molecular and atomic spectroscopy, process control, isotope separation, study of free radicals and chemical reactions, combustion diagnostics, spectroscopy of excited states and nonlinear processes, measurements of gain and of spectrally narrow light emission. Intracavity absorption in single-mode lasers shows enhanced sensitivity as well, although not as high as in multimode lasers. Received: 10 May 1999 / Published online: 29 July 1999     

Femtosecond transform-limited Kerr-lens mode-locked dye lasers

Using SF6 glass plates as intracavity Kerr lenses and double-prism pairs for dispersion compensation, we achieve tunable femtosecond passive mode locking in rhodamine 590 (R6G) and 4-dicyanomethylene-2-methyl-16-p-dimethylaminostyryl-4H-pyran (DCM) dye lasers. The R6G laser produces transform limited 240–500 fs pulses between 577 and 606 nm, and the DCM laser produces 150 fs transform-limited pulses between 650 and 671 nm. We use dilute intracavity saturable-absorber jets to make the mode locking self-starting. Characteristics of the pulses and the stability regions of the lasers agree with general theories of passive mode locking.     

A high-power single-mode cw dye ring laser

Due to spatial hole burning, standing-wave dye lasers require a large amount of selectivity inside the cavity for single-mode operation. The output power of these lasers is limited by losses caused by the frequency selecting elements. In a travelling-wave laser, on the other hand, spatial hole burning does not exist, thereby eliminating the need for high selectivity. A travelling-wave cw dye laser was realized by unidirectional operation of a ring laser, yielding single mode output powers of 1.2 W at 595 nm and of 55 mW in the UV-region with intracavity frequency doubling.     

Prism tuner for single frequency operation of CW dye laser

A cw dye laser capable of single longitudinal mode operation and linear reproducible wavelenght tuning over a relatively wide spectral range is described. By employing a novel scheme of four intracavity highly dispersive Abbe prisms output powers of 5 mW with a linewidth less than 30 MHz for an input power of 700 mW have been obtained.     

A basic property of dye lasers: Spectral evolution

We have derived an analytical equation which is found to be useful in understanding injection locking, progressive narrowing, enhancement of intracavity absorption and amplification, dual-wavelength dye lasers, broad band shift and coupled cavities. The basic property of the dye laser emission, i.e. the spectral evolution, is described without explicit reference to the molecular populations and the excitation time shape. The concept of spectral evolution is expressed in terms of new parameters such as the evolution length of the amplifier and the evolution time of the oscillator.     

Intracavity UV-range laser spectrometer

We suggest a variant, which has already been implemented, of a selective intracavity laser spectrometer with intracavity nonlinear optical conversion of the frequency range of generated multimode radiation. The apparatus provides a means for transition into the UV spectral range (shorter than 300 nm) to carry out direct recording and quantative investigation of strong resonance lines of atomic absorption, which earlier were beyond the reach of the intracavity method. We measured selective absorption in spectral lines of a number of metals: FeI 296.690 nm, TiI 294.200 nm, and GaI 287.424 nm. Institute of Molecular and Atomic Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 70 F. Skorina Ave., Minsk, 220072, Belarus; e-mail: Ild@imaph.bas-net.by. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 66, No. 6, pp. 875–879, November–December, 1999.     

与794nm飞秒激光精确同步的无直流背底的1064nm脉冲光的产生

基于非共线光参量放大(NOPA)，以宽带794nm飞秒激光的倍频光为抽运光，以连续的He-Ne激光为信号光，产生了与宽带794nm飞秒激光精确同步的无直流背底的1064nm的脉冲光.实验结果显示该1064nm的光脉冲可作为光参量啁啾脉冲放大系统的抽运激光链的种子光，从而实现用全光学方法实现OPCPA系统抽运光和信号光的精确同步.还将非共线光参量放大器置于经特殊设计的He-Ne激光腔内，也同样成功得到了无直流背底的1064nm的光脉冲.经一次光参量放大后所得到的1064nm光的光谱和空间啁啾特性与非共线光参量放大器置于He-Ne激光腔外时得到的1064nm的光脉冲相同，而其单脉冲能量约为腔外NOPA的10倍. 关键词： 非线性光参量放大 光参量啁啾脉冲放大 时间同步     

Generation of 5-fs pulses and octave-spanning spectra directly from a Ti:sapphire laser

Spectra extending from 600 to 1200 nm have been generated from a Kerr-lens mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser producing 5-fs pulses. Specially designed double-chirped mirror pairs provide broadband controlled dispersion, and a second intracavity focus in a glass plate provides additional spectral broadening. These spectra are to our knowledge the broadest ever generated directly from a laser oscillator.     

Intracavity spectroscopy with modulated multimode lasers

The output of a cw multimode dye laser with an intracavity narrow-band absorber and its pump power modulated shows spectral condensation on both wings of the absorption line. This indicates phase locking of two groups of laser modes. The dispersion of the absorber modifies the mode spacing of the laser such that mode groups on both sides of the absorption line get into resonance with the modulation. These mode groups feel smaller loss and acquire the total laser power. Spectra of the laser output reveal the total absorption coefficient, the homogeneous broadening of the absorber, and the spectral width of individual laser modes.On leave from Lebedev Physical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, SU-117924 Moscow, USSR